The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth
Chapter 440: Battle Against Hekqet (5)

Chapter 440: Battle Against Hekqet (5)

[What are you saying, you bastard?!] Mael hissed furiously at Psammead’s emergence.

[I have never liked you, snake. It baffles me that someone like you became a Master Key.]

[What a joke. Of course, someone who failed when challenging the position of the Master Key wouldn’t understand. Do you really believe you deserved the Eleventh position of Goodspeed?]

[...What?]

[Well... only the Fifteenth matters. Look at this battlefield. Karyl, the one wielding the Master Key, is the one who commands it.]

[You lunatic.]

[Of all who have ever held the position of Fifteenth, only I stand at the peak,] Mael hissed. [But you, a failure who couldn’t even reach that seat and was cast aside... What could you possibly hope to do?]

“Cut it out, both of you.”

Karyl finally cut in between the two spirits, who seemed on the verge of clashing.

“I couldn’t care less about who claims the Master Key’s position. The only thing that matters to me is whether your power is useful to me.”

Karyl raised his arm. “Mael, I won’t even bother to dissuade you from going after my body. I’m well aware that greed is the source of your power.”

[Hehe... That’s a relief.]

“I’ll just use that desire of yours to my advantage. You’re my tool, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

[...]

With that, Karyl tapped into Mael’s power, channeling it into the blade of Polsetia. The sword flared to life, glowing with a bright bluish aura.

“Psammead, I never thought we’d meet under such circumstances, but I trust you’ll uphold the dignity of a Spirit King? I’m glad you’ve finally broken your long silence. You’re the first Spirit King to call Mael a lunatic to his face, so I think we’ll get along just fine.”

[Make sure to introduce Mael to the Thunder Lord when you find him. It should be quite the spectacle.]

“Can you guide me to him?”

[You likely already know how to open the way, so there’s no need to explain. The wind can find paths the eye cannot see. Open the gates to the Spirit Realm, and I shall guide you there.]

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Karyl became certain that he would soon acquire the powers of the two remaining Spirit Kings.

[Human, will you make a pact with me?]

Woooosh...!!

Karyl wasted no time, rushing at Hekqet. Though he gave no reply, the wind intensifying around him with each step was enough of an answer.

Thoom! Thoom! BOOOM...!!

Karyl seemed to be stomping on the air—each step reverberating like thunder—as though gravity held no power over him.

A little further.

Karyl leaned forward, cutting through the air with such speed that he no longer felt the pressure of the air on his face.

A little closer.

He poured more strength into his legs, and the wind rose to meet him, forming invisible footholds that amplified each step and launched him forward like a bullet.

SHWANG!!!

In the next instant, Karyl was upon Hekqet’s chest, driving his sword toward his heart. The sound of the strike came a moment later, carried by a fierce shockwave.

BOOOOOM...!!!

Karyl’s strike forced Hekqet away from Hawat. The Tarak tried to steady himself, but the force of the blow was overwhelming. He toppled onto his back with a heavy thud.

“Grrk?!”

Awkwardly seated, Hekqet lifted his venomous gaze toward Karyl—only to find he had already vanished.

“The power of the wind isn’t just about speed,” came Psammead’s voice.

It was as if the wind swirling around Karyl had rendered him invisible. Hekqet’s eyes darted back and forth, unable to find his target.

Shrouded by the wind, Karyl seized the opening and leaped from behind, leaping to deliver a vicious kick to Hekqet’s jaw.

Whoosh—!!

The Tarak turned the moment the wind dispersed. Startled, he tried to raise his trident to block the kick—but he was too late.

CRACK—

The creature’s massive, frog-like head snapped back with a grotesque crunch.

“Kraaaagh!!!”

Even with a broken neck, Hekqet didn’t die. The devastating kick had only amplified the Tarak’s rage.

BOOM! BOOM! CRASH...!!!

Hekqet sprang to his feet and slammed his trident into the ground again and again, sending shockwaves and rubble flying in all directions. Craters split open across the battlefield, deepening with each strike as if meteors had fallen.

“Die, die, DIE...!!!”

Enraged and humiliated by the surprise attack, Hekqet hurled his trident aside, abandoning it for raw brute force. He began pounding the ground with both fists, seemingly in a frenzy.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A huge cloud of dust rose, and the entire battlefield quaked under the Tarak’s fists.

“Karyl...” Miliana whispered his name, unable to believe what she was seeing. She gripped her twin swords tightly, ready to charge into the fray, but her sisters quickly stopped her.

“No, it’s too dangerous!”

“Let go of me. That’s an order.”

“If you go, we’re coming too.”

“No, you’re not like me. I possess Dragonization. I can withstand his attacks.”

“At best, you’ll survive one hit. Did you not see that thing shatter Hawat’s armor with a single strike?”

Kanotcho stepped in front of Miliana, firmly barring her path.

“Move!”

Without hesitation, Miliana pushed her larger sister aside and dashed forward, ignoring the protests behind her.

Shhh...

Just then, Hekqet’s frenzy ceased. As the dust began to settle, an eerie calm descended over the battlefield.

Miliana froze mid-stride.

BOOM...!!

Hekqet suddenly staggered backward, his fists flung upward as if struck by an unseen force. The Tarak recoiled, his monstrous face contorted in bewilderment.

“...!!”

Miliana immediately activated her Infinity Circle to pierce through the settling dust. Amidst the haze, she could discern a single silhouette.

Emerging slowly from the deep crater, Karyl stepped forward.

Ssshhh!!!

Each step he took was trailed by a sharp gust of wind that swept away the lingering dust. The air swirled around him in a spherical vortex, as if shielding him.

Amazingly, Karyl appeared completely unscathed, seemingly untouched by Hekqet’s relentless, meteor-like blows.

“Are you done yet?” Karyl asked defiantly.

“Hah...” Miliana chuckled in disbelief, a shiver running through her as she watched.

“KRAAAAHH...!!!”

Hekqet’s body swelled, muscles bulging to the point of rupture, veins rippling beneath his skin. The Tarak snatched his trident from the ground and hurled it at Karyl with full force.

Vwoooom...!!

Overwhelming mana radiated from the blade.

A deafening clang rang out as the trident struck—not Karyl, but the wind wall conjured by Psammead. The barrier absorbed the force like a net catching a stone.

Ssshhhh...

The blade had stopped mere inches from Karyl’s face. Hekqet tried to yank it free, but it was firmly held in place by an invisible force.

At that moment, Karyl crossed the two swords in his grasp, his expression one of utter calm and focus..

Annihilation Strike

Karyl’s figure blurred as he dashed forward several meters. One of his blades pierced Hekqet’s left leg.

Splurt...!!

The limb burst like a balloon, releasing a torrent of viscous fluid.

Having surged past the Tarak, Karyl pivoted midair and struck again, slashing upward.

The Sixth Stance: Boundary Severance

Squelch!

This time, Hekqet’s right shoulder erupted, forcing him to drop his trident.

Karyl’s assault wasn’t over. Circling the Tarak, he moved in a crisscrossing diagonal pattern, carving into his limbs one by one with surgical precision.

“Graaah...!!”

Hekqet flailed desperately, trying to fend Karyl off, but his struggles only made it easier for Karyl to carve him up. However fearsome, the Second Calamity couldn’t match Karyl’s speed and precision.

“The Tarak can’t even touch him... How on earth is he that fast?”

Miliana was stunned. Even her Infinity Circle failed to keep up with Karyl’s speed.

Seamlessly blending magic with physical prowess—and drawing on the power bestowed by the spirits—Karyl had once again pushed beyond his limits. He now stood upon a new peak, higher than ever before.

“This is... something else entirely.”

There was no mistake about it. Karyl had drawn on the power of the Spirit Kings before, having formed pacts with more than a few. But this display of strength was unlike anything he had ever shown.

“It’s dangerous...”

Miliana recalled Psammead, the Spirit King of Wind. Unlike the other spirits, who tempered their power to safeguard their contractors, the Raging Gale seemed to unleash his full might without restraint, seemingly disregarding Karyl’s well-being.

“KRAAAAAH...!!!”

The Calamity of Proliferation seemed to possess fearsome regenerative abilities—Hekqet’s limbs were already growing back.

“You pesky insect...!!”

CRACK!

Before he could make another more, Hekqet’s head snapped back violently, and his face caved in.

“Gurk—!!”

Hekqet collapsed on his back, and Karyl landed squarely on his chest.

“Shut up.”

“Y-You—!!”

Shing!

With a flash of light, Hekqet’s limbs fell once again, scattering into pieces.

Now, with only his torso and head remaining, Hekqet seemed to fear for his life at last. He swallowed hard, his expression contorted with terror.

“Huff...” Karyl let out a ragged breath, and a bead of sweat trickled down his face.

[Karyl, the power of the Raging Gale is a double-edged sword. The wielder cannot fully control it. Psammead himself must know this. That’s likely why he refrained from forging a contract with you while he was sealed within the pendant.]

[...But it’s also true that without his power, we couldn’t have defeated Hekqet.]

[Indeed. I reckon there would have been many sacrifices without the power of the Raging Gale...]

Aware of Psammead’s nature, the Spirit Kings were naturally concerned.

When it came to pacts, the spirit simply lent their power to the contractor, but Psammead was different. His strength stemmed from a violent internal storm generated within the contractor’s body. Though immensely powerful, those winds put a significant strain on the contractor’s body.

As expected of the Raging Gale.

[Hehe, your trick hasn’t changed, Psammead. You really think you’re better than me? At least my power doesn’t kill my contractor. That’s why you could never be a Master Key.]

Mael flicked his tongue derisively.

It seemed the two shared quite the history, since Mael and Psammead had been at odds from the moment they had encountered each other.

“Shut up and devour Hekqet’s heart,” Karyl snapped, glaring at Mael as he stared at the Tarak’s battered chest.

[...As you wish.]

Ssssshh...!!!

Two ethereal fangs emerged from Polsetia’s sword, tearing into the Tarak’s heart and ripping it apart.

“KRAAAAAAA...!!!”

As Mael feasted on Hekqet’s heart, the razor wind kept cleaving at the stumps, preventing the Tarak’s limbs from regenerating.

“GHRAAAARR...!!!”

Hekqet thrashed violently, but it was all in vain. Mael’s fangs were already lodged deep into his heart.

“Gurk...!!”

Ssshhh...

The monster convulsed one last time before going limp.

With no final words, Hekqet, the Second Tarak, had met his end—a complete and utter defeat.

“Hawat, take the trident to the altar at the Pharel in the cave. Let Yula see our second victory.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Hawat, still stunned by the overwhelming force Karyl had displayed, could only nod.

“Rest easy, spirits. I’m well aware that the power of the Raging Gale is unlike any of your powers.”

Karyl ran a hand through his disheveled hair as he stepped down from Hekqet’s corpse.

“Psammead,” he called. “So you’re supposed to be a double-edged sword? If that’s truly the extent of your power, consider me disappointed.”

Crunch—!!

Karyl crushed Hekqet’s head underfoot and walked away.

“This is as far as I’ll indulge your childish games. I hope you’ll live up to my expectations in the Spirit Realm.”

Psammead was silent, seemingly lost for words.

[Hah... HAHAHAHAAA...!!!]

But then, as if conceding defeat, the Raging Gale lowered his head and burst into laughter.